Distribution of Malpighia mexicana in Mexico and its implications for Barranca del Río Santiago

Abstract

Wild plants represent relatively unexplored resource of high economic potential, especially as an alternative to developing new crops and, even more relevant, for improving existing crops and contributing to nutrition and health. The wild species Malpighia mexicana (manzanita) has a wide tradition of food, medicinal and ornamental use in Mexico. It is part of the American-origin group of tropical shrubs that produce edible red fruits, such as Acerola, which is considered the most important natural source of vitamin C in the world. Given the role played by M. mexicana in Mexico, and particularly in Barranca del Río Santiago (Santiago River Canyon), we modelled its potential distribution in both geographical areas. We used species’ records from databases, local herbaria and records collected by the authors as well as climatic variables representing long term average, variability and extreme conditions of temperature and precipitation. To fit the models we used the modelling algorithm Maxent and selected an adequate configuration by testing a range of model complexity settings. The results indicate a clear species preference for warm-dry tropical forest, most extensively in the Balsas river depression and the central valleys of Oaxaca. The probability of the species presence in the western region was also high, although the probability was also high for smaller surface areas, such as the region of Santiago river canyons, which are covered by warm-dry tropical forests.

Keywords

Malpighia mexicana / Maxent / Warm-dry tropical forest / Río Santiago / Genetic resources / Ecological niche model / Manzanita

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